The Influence of Starch of Ginger on the Antibacterial Activity of Honey of Different Types from Algeria against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

The purpose of this study was to establish an additive starch action of ginger on the potential antibacterial activity of honey with respect to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. Five varieties of honey of different botanical origin with addition of starch prepared from rhizomes of ginger with various concentrations were used. For each variety of honey the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum additive inhibitory concentration (MAIC) were determined by the agar diffusion method. The starch of the ginger which was the subject of the study showed a remarkable additive potential on the antibacterial effect of honey against the bacteria tested, where as no activity was noted when the starch is employed only. The MAIC for the five varieties of honeys tested ranged between 3 and 15% (vol/vol) and 2 and 14% (vol/vol) against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The MIC range for honey alone was 5-70% (vol/vol) and 5-40 % (vol/vol) against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, Within sight of these results, it seems that the starch of ginger strongly decreases the MIC of honey, thus letting hope for a honey benefit and would constitute an alternative way against the resistance to bacteria.